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Historical inaccuracies within Liberty's Kids
Liberty's Kids bears a few inaccuracies in its depiction of the American Revolutionary War. The following lists contain the various inaccuracies sighted by fans. The Series as a Whole * While not exactly a historical inaccuracy, the series spans a total of (nearly) 16 years, starting with the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, and concluding with the inauguration of George Washington as the first President of the United States on April 30, 1789. During this entire time, few characters seem to age. ** The only character(s) who do appear to age over the course of the series include Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. * Episode 36 ("Yorktown") and a good portion of episode 37 ("Born Free and Equal") should be switched with regard to their timeline. The former episode takes place in late September to mid-October of 1781, while the case of Elizabeth Freeman takes place in August 1781. ** The Elizabeth Freeman portion of Born Free and Equal should actually take place between episode 34 ("Deborah Samson: Soldier of the Revolution") and episode 35 ("James Armistead"). Episode 34 takes place on July 1781, while episode 35 takes place on September 1781. * Episode 12 ("Common Sense") takes place in January 1776 in Philadelphia. The final scene of the previous episode ("Washington Takes Command") takes place in March 1776 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the aftermath of the Siege of Boston. ** To be fair, it's possible the kids could have traveled between the cities over the course of these two episodes. * Franklin's horse, Caesar, is solid brown in the beginning of the series, but suddenly changes to solid grey later on. ** It is not even known if Franklin owned a horse named Caesar in real life. Particular Episodes The Shot Heard Round the World * When Moses hands Benjamin Franklin a copy of the newspaper detailing the events of the Battles at Lexington and Concord, the heading is that of the episode's title, "The Shot Heard Round the World", and the article written by both Sarah and James. The phrase actually comes from the opening stanza of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn", written in 1837. The Second Continental Congress * When Henri returns with supposed information being discussed within the Second Continental Congress's sessions to Paul Wentworth and James, it turns out he took down the personnel's "lunch orders". The term "lunch" wasn't used until 1786, and instead, was referred to as "dinner" during much of the 18th century (whereas "supper" referred to today's term for "dinner"). Bunker Hill * Colonel William Prescott is seen (and known for) ordering his soldiers, "Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes." It is debated whether Prescott or someone else coined this memorable saying. Washington Takes Command * A time skip occurs in the episode to December 1775, in which General Washington appeals to his men whose enlistments are up to stay and fight with him. Washington's speech is interrupted with the arrival of Colonel Henry Knox, who requests assistance moving 56 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York to Boston. Some of Washington's men decide to stay and assist Col. Knox in the event that would come to be known as the "noble train of artillery", which actually began on November 17, 1775, and not December of that same year. ** In the following scene, James decides to attend the Knox Expedition, leaving Sarah and Henri in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Once he has left, Sarah asks Henri if he would like to join her to visit some of the new recruits from Maine. Maine was not one of the original 13 Colonies; rather, it was formerly known as York County, Massachusetts until Massachusetts adopted its state government in 1780, thus creating the District of Maine to manage its eastern territories. Maine eventually achieved statehood in 1820, upon which all of the counties of the District of Maine became the counties of Maine. New York, New York * At the beginning of the episode, Sarah is writing a letter to her mother, in which she describes that ever since the Declaration of Independence was read Washington in New York on July 7th, "it's been a city gone quite mad." As seen in the final scene of the previous episode ("The First Fourth of July"), Washington read the Declaration aloud on July 9th, 1776 (which is the actual date in which the event occurred). One Life to Lose * On the night of Nathan Hale's capture by the British, it appears as if his mission is a rendezvous with (seemingly) fellow Patriots near Flushing Bay in Queens, New York. There are two stories of Hale's capture (see bullets below), neither one of which is depicted in the series. ** One story was that Hale's Loyalist cousin, Samuel Hale, was the one who revealed his true identity. ** A second story is an account written by Consider Tiffany, a Connecticut shopkeeper and Loyalist: Major Robert Rogers of the Queen's Rangers saw Hale in a tavern and recognized him (despite the latter apparently wearing a disguise). Rogers managed to lure Hale into betraying himself by pretending to be a Patriot, and Rogers and his Rangers apprehended Hale near Flushing Bay. * On the morning of his execution, Hale requested a clergyman (which was denied), followed immediately by requesting a Bible (which was also denied). In real life, Hale first requested a Bible, and was denied and, sometime later, requested a clergyman, which was also denied. * Over the years, there has been speculation as to whether Hale specifically uttered the line: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." The line may be a revision of "I am so satisfied with the cause in which I have engaged that my only regret is that I have not more lives than one to offer in its service." Across the Delaware * During the Hessians' Christmas celebration in Trenton, soldiers are seen dancing to "Silent Night". The carol was written in 1818, over 40 years after the events surrounding the Battle of Trenton. Allies at Last * The events of this episode take place in February 1778. However, in real life, the event surrounding Moses Michael Hays signing the declaration of loyalty in Newport, Rhode Island took place in 1775. Hays would end up moving to Boston from Newport ahead of British occupation of the latter in 1776. The New Frontier * The episode takes place in October 1779, depicting the execution of Cornstalk and his son Elinipsico. However, Elinipsico was killed on October 10, 1777, while Cornstalk was killed exactly one month later. ** Elinipsico is also depicted as a pre-teenager in the series, whereas in real life, he was 31 or 32 when he was killed. ** The episode takes place in October 1779, however, because the secondary plot involves the Fort Wilson Riot, which did take place during that time. Deborah Samson: Soldier of the Revolution * The events of this episode take place on September 1781, and seem to span merely a few weeks. In real life, Deborah Sampson was honorably discharged at West Point, New York in 1783. Category:Browse